What do you think?
Rate this book
How Spider Saved...
How Spider Saved the Baseball Game
Spider cannot hit, field, or catch, so he becomes the pitcher, and at the bottom of the ninth it was up to him.
- GenresChildrens
Paperback
Published January 1, 1989
19 people want to read
About the author
Robert Kraus
180 books27 followersRobert Kraus was an American children's author, cartoonist and publisher. Founder and publisher of Windmill Books, author and illustrator of award-winning children's books, Kraus began as a cartoonist and cover artist for The New Yorker. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_...]
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
November 5, 2022
This one was a giveaway from a kindergarten teacher, and if it wasn't free, I definitely wouldn't have bothered with it.
Spider wasn't picked to play on the baseball team (despite there seeming to be no tryouts and maybe two other people who wanted to join - and maybe no practice at all) but he goes to the game anyway to support his friends. But, surprise... no one showed up, and Spider is asked to play. But he can't do anything, and neither, it seems, can Fly or Ladybug, the only other bugs who showed up to play.
Okay, Spider does have one skill. He can pitch a "spider ball," whatever that is (it's not explained and the pictures don't do a very good job of showing what that is, although I imagine it has something to do with having eight legs). So he can at least strike everyone out.
Then the other team shows up to play and they have a full team and reserve players and nobody bats an eye or says anything about how this might possibly be the tiniest bit unfair. Then the game sees no action (because Spider's pitches do strike everyone out and like I said, no one on his team can hit). But the reader sees even less action, as there's almost no scenes of them actually playing baseball until the last inning, when Spider saves the game.
The illustrations in this book are very unimpressive. The only "bugs" that look vaguely like the creatures they're supposed to resemble are Spider and Miss Quito (pictured with the long nose or stinger on the front). I can't tell Fly and Ladybug apart because neither of them remotely resembles a fly or ladybug.
I'm not saying that I hate this, and I do think it has some redeeming qualities for little ones, including a simple beginning-middle-end structure and illustrations that are fun and colorful, even if they aren't visually engaging or accurate in any way, shape, or form. I think this might go over well with the youngest prereaders, though when I took it in at work none of the kids showed the slightest interest, preferring most of the time to look at the nonfiction books with realistic animal depictions (they do read a lot of my animal and bug books).
Spider wasn't picked to play on the baseball team (despite there seeming to be no tryouts and maybe two other people who wanted to join - and maybe no practice at all) but he goes to the game anyway to support his friends. But, surprise... no one showed up, and Spider is asked to play. But he can't do anything, and neither, it seems, can Fly or Ladybug, the only other bugs who showed up to play.
Okay, Spider does have one skill. He can pitch a "spider ball," whatever that is (it's not explained and the pictures don't do a very good job of showing what that is, although I imagine it has something to do with having eight legs). So he can at least strike everyone out.
Then the other team shows up to play and they have a full team and reserve players and nobody bats an eye or says anything about how this might possibly be the tiniest bit unfair. Then the game sees no action (because Spider's pitches do strike everyone out and like I said, no one on his team can hit). But the reader sees even less action, as there's almost no scenes of them actually playing baseball until the last inning, when Spider saves the game.
The illustrations in this book are very unimpressive. The only "bugs" that look vaguely like the creatures they're supposed to resemble are Spider and Miss Quito (pictured with the long nose or stinger on the front). I can't tell Fly and Ladybug apart because neither of them remotely resembles a fly or ladybug.
I'm not saying that I hate this, and I do think it has some redeeming qualities for little ones, including a simple beginning-middle-end structure and illustrations that are fun and colorful, even if they aren't visually engaging or accurate in any way, shape, or form. I think this might go over well with the youngest prereaders, though when I took it in at work none of the kids showed the slightest interest, preferring most of the time to look at the nonfiction books with realistic animal depictions (they do read a lot of my animal and bug books).
November 17, 2020
Spider was feeling sad. It was the first day of the baseball season and Fly did not pick him to play on his team. But he went to the game anyway, planning to cheer. He was surprised when Fly told him that he and Ladybug were the only bugs who showed up.
They tested Spider to see what position he could play, but he wasn’t good at catching fly balls or ground balls. He was a slow runner and he couldn’t hit the ball. What will happen when Spider, Fly, and Ladybug play the Bedbug All Stars?
This delightfully silly tale, told by Spider, is sure to enchant young readers, especially those who enjoy playing baseball. Early readers [first and second grades], ages six through eight, are the target audience for this book that is sure to become a favorite, especially for young readers who enjoy the many tales of Spider and his friends.
Recommended.
They tested Spider to see what position he could play, but he wasn’t good at catching fly balls or ground balls. He was a slow runner and he couldn’t hit the ball. What will happen when Spider, Fly, and Ladybug play the Bedbug All Stars?
This delightfully silly tale, told by Spider, is sure to enchant young readers, especially those who enjoy playing baseball. Early readers [first and second grades], ages six through eight, are the target audience for this book that is sure to become a favorite, especially for young readers who enjoy the many tales of Spider and his friends.
Recommended.
January 3, 2022
A rather wack entry in the spider series.
December 4, 2023
I loved this series!
January 17, 2012
I read and re-read this to Andy in the backseat of the Element during our fist baseball road trip. "Spiderball" is forever in our family lexicon thanks to this book.
September 15, 2013
the kids love these books
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews